


Into the Abyss

by ShiranuiFion17



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tokyo Ghoul, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Cannibalism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:54:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29932341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiranuiFion17/pseuds/ShiranuiFion17
Summary: Shouyou goes through with life as an SSS rated ghoul, hiding among humans. Until an attack on an alleyway forced him and his companions to step out and protect their teammates. What happens next?Haikyuu on a Tokyo Ghoul AU that no one asked for but yeah.Characters not mine but plot is.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Goshiki Tsutomu & Shirabu Kenjirou & Ushijima Wakatoshi, Hinata Shouyou & Sugawara Koushi, Hinata Shouyou & Sugawara Koushi & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Hinata Shouyou & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou & Yaku Morisuke, Kunimi Akira & Oikawa Tooru, Miya Atsumu & Miya Osamu & Ojiro Aran, Oikawa Tooru & Sugawara Koushi, Sugawara Koushi & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yamaguchi Tadashi & Kunimi Akira
Kudos: 7





	1. ☼

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for fun.

Shouyou moans happily as he tore the leg ligament from its bone with his fangs, thick red blood oozing out of his mouth as he chews on the flesh. He paid his companions no mind as he pulled on the tendon and stuffed it in his watering mouth. Koushi sighs contently as he chews on the flesh from their first victim’s nape while Tadashi grunts in annoyance as he uses the blade of his koukaku to cleanly separate the arm from the body that his two companions are devouring.

They ate messily, blood splattered everywhere; they had spent weeks living off on coffee alone, yet coffee could only do so much since they spent most of their time with humans, especially after class when they have volleyball practice and the smell of their sweaty teammates drove them mad with hunger.

They have long discarded their masks, a plain handmade metal and leather domino mask with a small pointed beak that could cut if used properly, meticulously painted with colors that defer from each other- hues of red for Shouyou, hues of silver for Koushi and hues of green for Tadashi, after they hungrily pounce on the now dead couple. 

With their hunger that had been growing for weeks satiated, the trio used their kagunes to neatly separate the flesh and tendons on the second victim, placing them in three separate containers, one for each. They pulled their matching hoodie over their hairs and donned their masks. Aside from their masks, height and kagunes, you can’t tell the one from the other. They wore matching black hoodies, black shorts and black shoes.

They unleashed their ukakus, flew back to Miyagi and bid each other goodnight as they separate towards the direction of their home, leaving behind a red, grey and green feather beside the horridly torn up bodies, nonchalantly telling the world the couple was killed by the Black Crows. 

Shouyou stuffs the filled container in his freezer after he took off his shoes and threw his hoodie and shorts to the wash. He ascends to his room, sets his mask on his desk and took a deep shower. He watches as blood trickle down from his hair, chin and fingers, making the water below him turn red. After making sure that there are no traces of blood on him, Shouyou dries himself up and got changed into comfortable pajamas. 

He eyes the silent world outside his window. He can remember his sworn rival Tobio, hands gripping the net as he stared at him and yelled “What have you been doing for the last 3 years?!” 

Shouyou didn’t say anything.

How could he?

How could he tell the angry setter that he could only fly away with his newly blossomed ukaku as cannibal ghouls tore his father apart, cut off his mother’s rinkaku and ate his sister’s organs? How could he tell his rival that he had sworn vengeance, trained and fought against C rated ghouls, making his way to the top, baring his fangs against SS rated ghouls, absorbing their Rc cells and devouring them? How could he tell his enemy at the opposite side of the court that in his wild spree for vengeance, he had wiped out three fourths and a half of the ghoul population in Miyagi, wiped out the entire cannibal gang that massacred his family? How could he tell his future teammate that he had become the youngest ward leader and SSS rated ghoul?

Shouyou couldn’t. 

For one, Tobio is entirely human. Akira, being an exception, bowed his head towards him when no one was looking. Aside from him, everyone else was wholly human.

So Shouyou couldn’t.

He’ll be killed if he did.

Flopping down on his bed, Shouyou let out a frustrated sigh. He has a chimera kagune, ukaku from his father and rinkaku from his mother, he acquired his koukaku after he absorbed the gang leader’s Rc cells and ate him out of spite, turning him into a cannibal, and later, a half Kakuja, turning him into something that he had sworn vengeance against. If it wasn’t for Ken’s interference, Shouyou would have continued with his mad killing spree, killing ghouls, doves and innocent humans.

He started anew, limiting his diet and interacted with the humans more, trained himself to eat human food without puking in front of them. He had become a different person as he put his past aside and moved on. As a ward leader, he had set up rules, controlling the died of ghouls around him enough that they wouldn’t be too weak if they are somehow attacked and maintaining their small prefecture population, making sure that the doves wouldn’t return. Under his rule, the ghouls in his prefecture live in almost perfect harmony with the humans. 

Throughout the months since he attended Karasuno, he was stupefied to learn that not one, but two ghouls enrolled in the same school he did. Koushi has a chimera kagune and he wielded his bikaku and ukaku well. Tadashi, seemingly sweet Tadashi, was also a half Kakuja and had acquired his ukaku by eating his abusive father. After being challenged and winning over their respects single-handedly, the trio formed a group, a group that the networks think originated from Tokyo and migrated to different parts of the country, shutting down various cannibal groups and binge-eater ghouls. They were feared, and he like to keep it that way.

Closing his eyes, Shouyou drifted to sleep.


	2. ☼☼

Shouyou bit the straw of his coffee carton, fangs poking holes through the plastic, as he watches Koushi heave out the sandwich Daichi had bought him when he heard his friend's stomach grumble loudly, Tadashi patting the third year's back reassuringly.

Despite Kei's and Tobio's constant nitpicking, Shouyou isn't stupid. From a glance, he knows that his ghoul companions are growing weak with hunger; he had noticed their sluggish movements during volleyball practice and saw them tense up when a sweaty teammate approaches them; yet the two never openly brought out their hunger. They know full well, despite being SS rated ghouls themselves, that when it came to hunting and feeding around these parts, Shouyou's word is law.

If he had ordered them to starve, they would. Not because they bent their knee to him, but because he will see to it himself that no human would fall in their trap. And if they had to fight Shouyou for food rights, they would be rip apart beyond recognition.

Even so, Shouyou wasn't coldhearted to outright forbid the ghouls to feed temporarily without reason. A week ago, he had heard news of two SS rated ghouls spotted just outside Miyagi, slaughtering ten high school students who went camping, yet leaving them wholly intact, not a single organ missing. Yonder and Rose were ghouls who hunted just for the thrill of it, the type of ghoul that Shouyou hated the most. He fears that more killings would alert the CCG and Shouyou doesn't want that, not after knowing that they had successfully produced and trained top-class quinxes.

But Shouyou wasn't cruel. A week more into their hunger and they would go insane. That's why he had called up his companions, to form a plan for hunting, but it didn't start right away because Koushi desperately needed to expel the human food he had consumed lest he'll be too weak to even stand. As Koushi gurgled water to remove the bile taste, a student barged into the comfort room, making Shouyou frown. He eyes Tadashi who was looking at him with a hint of alarm. Shouyou discreetly nodded towards the direction of the roof and left after flashing the stranger a smile, discarding his empty coffee carton on the way.

As Shouyou sets foot on the roof deck, he took a whiff of the air, gleefully taking in the clear air that hasn't been tainted by the scent of humans. His cohorts arrive a few minutes later, their noses sniffing the clean air as they sigh contently. They made a circle as they settled, their legs sprawled out in front of them and their hands behind them as support. Shouyou eyes his companions and smiled. "Hold your hunger for now. The hunting ban will be lifted tomorrow," Shouyou said enthusiastically. His friends let out a whoop of happiness but died down when Shouyou lifted his hand to keep them quiet before continuing, "We'll be hunting with Aqua and Turquoise in two days." Koushi beamed while Tadashi frown. Shouyou could only giggle, he knows that his green haired friend loathes hunting with ghouls rated lower than them.

After finalizing their plan to hunt with the two Aoba Johsai ghouls, much to Tadashi's dismay, the trio headed back to their classrooms, eagerly counting down the time left before they could hunt and eat.

~~//~~

Shouyou knows for a fact that most ghouls hunt for a lonely human or a pair, all easily killed once on their kagune's range, so he didn't think much when Daichi had directed them into an alley, reassuringly telling everyone that it was the shortest way to his house.

That was his mistake.

They had spent weeks planning for this sleepover, everyone diligently doing what they're told just so they could attend. The Black Crows had been the most enthusiastic ones when the idea was presented to them, but now they could only worry about their control over their hunger. Still, they concluded that all three of them absent would be suspicious, so they reluctantly packed their clothes. They dreaded the idea of eating human food, but they relented a little after Shouyou packed the coffee beans Ken had sent from the coffee shop he works with, Anteiku.

Everyone was allowed by their parents to attend, despite the looming threat of a ghoul attack, minus the ghoul trio themselves who had lost their family but told absolutely no one. Daichi led the group, followed by Asahi and Koushi who had been at his house numerous times, Chikara was sandwiched by Hisashi and Kazuhito chatting about their recent math pop quiz, Ryuunosuke, Yuu and Shouyou jumping gleefully, Kei and Tadashi listening to the same music despite using different phones and Tobio, grumbling about this and that.

With their noses trailing the scent of their teammates, the trio had failed to smell the scents of two ghouls perched above, who themselves have failed to smell the scents of the three most feared ghouls of the prefecture as their scent are blanketed by humans that they had constantly been around with.

Midway in the alley, a gut-wrenching scream had Shouyou turning. He watched in horror as a female ghoul hoist their setter on the air, her blue and green rinkaku wrapped around Tobio's throat. Another scream erupted and Shouyou thrashed his head around to see Daichi leaning against another ghoul, a koukaku looming dangerously near his throat. Both exits were blocked by the ghouls, they had nowhere to escape to.

"DAICHI-SAN!" Yuu screamed, taking a step forward toward his senior before he was aggressively yanked back by Asahi. Kei turned and pulled Tadashi behind him, intending to protect his friend from the ghouls. The group huddled together, with Chikara in the middle as the two ghouls approach them, their captive teammates on hand.

"Look Yonder! We caught twelve this time!" the ghoul holding Tobio yelled gleefully as she eyes the group with her black scleras and crimson red irises. Tobio thrashed in her hold, his hands desperately gripping her rinkaku. The ghoul holding Daichi, Yonder, chuckled and replied, "We did, Rose. We got twelve indeed." He lightly grazed his koukaku on the captain's neck, blood slowly oozing out of the thin, fresh cut.

The smell of their friend's blood drove the three ghouls out of their shock. They eyed each other and nodded, a voice in their mind screeching at them: They'd rather be handed over to the CCG than let their friends be killed in front of them. With a hand gripping their masks in their bags, the three stepped out; Koushi and Tadashi facing Yonder while Shouyou faced Rose.

"Drop them," Shouyou said, cocking his head at the ghoul in front of him. Koushi flashed Yonder a smile while Tadashi frowned. "HINATA!" Hisashi cried desperately, taking a step to yank the first year back, but Shouyou slapped his hands away, his eyes solely trained on Rose.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him and laughed. "What's a meekly human like you gonna do? Call out for help? The road is empty besides you guys," Rose said cheekily. Tadashi's frown deepens as he registers her words. "If you had come forward and check in like you're supposed to, you would know that there is a hunting ban going on around here. It will be lifted tomorrow so could you please drop our friends?" Tadashi said nonchalantly, as if it was the most obvious matter.

Yonder visually halted as he blinks at the green haired teen in surprise. Kei took a step forward to grab his friend, but he was pulled back by Ryuunosuke. "Oi! Yamaguchi!" Kei yelled in panic as he struggles in his senpai's hold. Tadashi ignored his friend and took another step forward, seizing up the ghoul in front of him. Yonder tilted his head and said, "How would a human know that?"

Shouyou grinned maniacally as he puts on his mask, Koushi and Tadashi following suit, "Because it is my command."


	3. ☼☼☼

Shouyou’s rinkaku flared, dark red tentacles slicing the wind as it whips around, his orange and red ukaku blazing as it takes the shape of an angel’s wings. Koushi’s grey tail-like bikaku curled around him, his silver ukaku taking in the shape of five rain droplets. Tadashi’s pale yellow koukaku curled around his right arm with the blade gleaming with sharpness, his sage green ukaku taking the form of an ever-blazing flame. 

Their teammates could only watch in shock, the knowledge that their friends are ghouls not processing inside their heads fast enough.

Rose chocked on air as she watches Shouyou grin at her, his bronze orange eyes now black and red like hers. “Yonder they-!” Rose yelled out but was cut off as Shouyou leaps and attacks her, rinkaku meeting rinkaku. Shouyou’s was stronger and his kagune cut through the kagune holding his friend. Tobio falls and quickly scrambles away from the two fighting ghouls and runs to his shaking teammates.

Yonder took a step forward to assist his companion but Koushi wraps his bikaku around his koukaku and yanks, freeing their captain. Tadashi catches the trembling third year and shoves him towards the huddle group and flew to assist his friend. Koushi deflects Yonder’s attack with his ukaku and leaps backwards, switching places with Tadashi who charged forward with his kagune raised, cutting Yonder’s cheek as he side-steps to evade the attack. 

Yonder groans in pain as he dashes towards Koushi who whips his bikaku towards him, which he evades by using the armguard of his kagune. With much force, Yonder leaps, his body twisting and turning above the scared teens, falls and rushes forward to impale Shouyou. “Red!” Koushi screams in alarm, alerting the redhead. Shouyou turns around in time and deflects the attack with his own black and cream koukaku. Yonder eyes the koukaku and forcefully shoves Shouyou away, towards his team. 

Shouyou dug his feet on the dirt, using his rinkaku to stop the momentum and keep him upright. Koushi and Tadashi rushed to his sides, their kagunes out for everyone to see. Side-by-side, Yonder and Rose analyzes their enemies. Taking in their kagunes and masks, Rose screeched, “They’re the Black Crows!”

The Karasuno volleyball team gasps in surprise as they fully wrapped their heads around the situation. 

Their ecstatic middle blocker, shy pinch server and reliable reserve setter were ghouls.

And they are not any regular ghouls, they are the Black Crows, a group of three ghouls known to terrorizing man and ghoul alike. Aside from their group name, the three are known separately by their mask colors; Green and Silver were SS rated ghouls, both having two kagunes in their arsenal, while Red is an SSS rated ghoul, known for wiping the majority ghoul population in their hometown, the undisputed king of their prefecture, brandishing three kagunes.

And the three ghouls are their teammates.

They could only watch the backs of their friends; Koushi on the left, Tadashi on the right and Shouyou in the middle, knees bent and backs hunched, their kagunes in display, ready to attack. Yonder and Rose turned to face each other, silently speaking, their kagunes looking quite petty compared to the full arsenal of the Black Crows. Nodding, they turned to face their enemies, confidence rising. Rose took a step forward, her rinkaku behind her as she spoke, “How about we come to a consensus?” 

Shouyou raises an eyebrow as he straightens himself. Koushi narrowed his eyes on them, his usually tawny brown eyes but now black and red darting from Rose to Yonder and back, “What makes you think that you’re in the position to negotiate? You hurt our friends.” Yonder places a hand on his partner’s shoulder before turning to Shouyou, “We only want at least two of those teens behind you.” 

The said teens flinched when they are mentioned. Though a path behind them was cleared, they couldn’t find the strength in their legs to take a step back, to call for help. They stood there, huddled up and trembling, as Tadashi turned to face them, his spider black sclera and crimson red irises gazing at them. They blinked when Tadashi gave them a shy smile, a huge contrast compared to his aggressive fighting a few minutes ago. They felt their hearts leap when Koushi’s bikaku snake around them protectively, the tip ruffling Yuu’s spiky hair. Despite the situation, Yuu coos and the tension between the terrified teens slows drops. 

“Yeah, nope. You can like, kill someone else in this parts but ya ain’t touching my friends,” Shouyou said with a shrug, not at all bothered by the sudden display of confidence in front of him, not at all bother by the sudden kansai accent he had acquired after hanging around with the Miya Twins. Tadashi faces forward again, a mean glint in his eyes.

Yonder and Rose shared a look and turned their attention to the ghouls in front of them. “Come on now, you’re not sharing your meal?” Yonder probed, eyes wondering on the teens. “They’re friends!” Tadashi growled as he took a step forward, fangs baring, ready to attack. Koushi retracks his bikaku from his teammates and flashed them a sweet smile when he heard Yuu whine from the loss of contact. He turned to face Yonder; the sweetness gone. “I don’t know what makes you think that you have the upper hand to propose a consensus with us, but you are gravely mistaken. The ones surviving this brawl will be us, if the number of kagunes we have didn’t say so already,” the seeming sweet Koushi muttered, venom evident in his voice. Rose groaned frustratedly, her rinkaku angrily slicing the air as she turned to her companion, “Let’s just kill them!”

Before Yonder could reply, it was Shouyou’s turn to look at his utterly human teammates. He gave them a smile that said ‘sorry’ and quietly muttered, “Ya might wanna close yer eyes on this.” 

With the warning told, Tadashi launched himself to the air. Shouyou dashed forward, using the speed of his ukaku, grabbed both of Rose’s ankles with his rinkaku and tugged violently. Koushi made a full turn and used his bikaku’s force to roughly push Yonder towards Rose who is already falling. The two collide and falls on top of each other; Rose at the bottom and Yonder on top. Koushi wrapped his bikaku around Yonder’s koukaku, desperately keeping his kagune on the ground while Shouyou used his own koukaku to explicitly slight through Rose’s rinkaku, rendering her useless momentarily as she uses her remaining energy to regenerate her kagune. As the two are being held down, Tadashi dives headfirst. 

The team could only watch in horror as Tadashi falls, blade first, and impales the two through their hearts. Rose and Yonder let out an ear-piercing scream, making the teens shiver until Tadashi yanks his koukaku out and beheads the two. 

The trio retracted their kagunes, let out a loud, happy whoop and fell on the cold, dirt floor. They stayed there, taking deep breaths until they heard the sound of ruffling clothes behind them. Taking off their masks, the three turned to see their teammates just standing there with their heads bowed, hesitant to step forward. Shouyou cocks his head at them, analyzing, then eyes his teammates who nodded at him. Huffing, Shouyou stands up and smiled at his team who still refuse to look at him in the eye, even though he is positive that it’s back to its bronze orange color.

“If you’re going to report us, we wouldn’t mind. We’d rather rot in Cochlea than watch them rip you apart,” Shouyou said as Koushi and Tadashi stood up, positioning themselves on either of his sides, the three of them giving their teammates a smile.

Daichi lifted his head, took a good look at them and muttered, “Why?” With this, the others lifted their heads as well, as if they were struggling to say the same thing, only for Daichi to take the initiative. Tilting his head, Shouyou answered blatantly, “Because we see you as family.”

As if what he said was a magic word, the three watched as their teammates collapsed into a sobbing mess. The three stood there, shock, as tears fall from their friends’ eyes. Regaining themselves, Shouyou and Tadashi dashed to their teammates’ sides. 

“WAH! Are you hurt anywhere?! They didn’t injure you, did they?!” Shouyou yelled as he frantically jumps from teammate to teammate, checking if they have any injury on them. Koushi cautiously approached the group, his hands gently ruffling Tobio’s and Kei’s hair. With the three ghouls close, the teens lunged and pulled the ghouls in the middle. Shouyou, Tadashi and Koushi could only watch as their friends embraced them. 

After calming down, the human teens stood and smiled at their ghoul friends. Daichi, with puffy eyes, smiled down on them fondly, “I think I speak for everyone here, when I say that we won’t be turning you in.” Yuu and Ryuunosuke let out a happy whoop and threw their fists to the air, Chikara, Hasashi and Kazuhito swung an arm over the other and smiled happily, Daichi and Asahi fist bumping each other, Tobio and Kei grunted but with a soft glimmer in their eyes. 

The trio watched, with tears falling from their eyes, as their teammates let out their hands to them, silently asking them to reach for it. Ghouls or humans, they didn’t mind. They played on the same side of the court, changed in the same changing room, attended the same school. 

Grasping the hands reaching out to them, the three smiled. No matter what they were, their team, no - their family had accepted them.

~~//~~

Daichi thanked whatever god is out there that his parents stayed with his grandparents for the night, saying that they would give the teens their privacy, because he sure as hell cannot explain the scene in front of him.

With all the windows covered and doors locked, Shouyou, Tadashi and Koushi became the center of attention.

Yuu was seating between Koushi’s legs, cooing delightfully as Koushi’s bikaku nuzzle his cheeks. Chikara had himself engrossed with Koushi’s ukaku. Kei studied Tadashi’s bikaku with interest, his eyes taking in every detail. Tobio was at the corner, sulking after knowing that Shouyou was the strongest on the prefecture. He had pounced on the poor redhead, however, when Shouyou told him that Tooru and Akira are ghouls themselves. Being interrogated by the setter, Shouyou paid little mind to Ryuunosuke, Kazuhito and Hasashi trying to arm-wrestle his rinkaku. He did, however, threw them a grin when he won.

Daichi smiled. Yep, they are family, ghoul or not ghoul.


	4. ☼☼☼☼

Shouyou, for the life of him, couldn’t see how or why Coach Keishin would think that having a sleep over with THE Aoba Johsai men volleyball team, of all teams they played against, would be a good thing. For one thing, Tobio, Ryuunosuke and Yuu detest Tooru, the Aoba Johsai captain and starter setter. Tooru though, returns the gesture. Put the four of them in the same room and one of them will have their neck snapped. Spoiler alert: it won’t be Tooru. Not to mention that Karasuno beat them and their sworn nemesis Shiratorizawa, earning the ticket to go to Nationals.

It doesn’t take more than three braincells to comprehend that this is a terrible idea. Yet here they all are, all twelve of the Karasuno men volleyball team, standing right outside the Aoba Johsai High gate.

Coach Keishin had literally dropped them off and drove away with the promise to retrieve them the next afternoon at five. Accepting their fate, Daichi straightens himself and told his team to grab their stuff as he points at the pile of bags behind them which Ittetsu-sensei had dumped out of the bus compartment with a sad smile. Grumbling, they did as they’re told. As they squabble about whose bag is whose, Shouyou, Koushi and Tadashi whipped their heads to the direction of the school gate, their noses flaring.

Not knowing what caught their friend’s attention, the non-ghoul members huddled behind the three, their belongings over their shoulders. They visibly relaxed when Shouyou and Koushi giggled. A few seconds later, two very familiar teens approached them. Hajime walked towards them with his hands in his pocket, a look of annoyance in his facial features. Beside him, Tooru chatters, matching his pace.

“Turquoise!” Koushi called happily, both of his arms up the air. Hearing his name, Tooru turns towards the voice. “Silver!” Tooru called back gleefully and uncharacteristically. The team watched in horror as the two called out each other using their ghoul alias; the two not minding it at all as they ran towards each other and embraced. Hajime watched this exchange with an eyebrow raised.

Shouyou chuckles lightly as he approaches the two, “No matter how many times I hunt and play with you, I’ll never really get used to your scent.” Tooru released Koushi from his embraced and let out an undignified squawk as he places his hand to his chest in a mock-scandalized manner. Koushi giggled beside the offended setter and Tadashi grimace, equally not used to the overly sour scent. Tooru huffed. “You’re so mean, Sho-chan! You’ve been spending too much time with Iwa-chan, haven’t you?!” Tooru accused as he folded his arms to his chest. The poor brunette received a whack at the back of his head curtesy of Hajime who grumbled in annoyance. 

The opposing team Ace turned to face the confused Karasuno. “Come on. The others are waiting inside,” said Hajime as he turned and headed towards the court, dragging a whiny Tooru by the ear. Scoffing, Tadashi followed the two, Koushi tailing behind him. Shouyou watched his two cohorts with a grin. As much as Tobio loathes Tooru, Tadashi despises to even breathe the same air as Akira. Turning to his team, his grin on full display, he said, “This would be interesting.”

They followed Hajime and Tooru towards the volleyball court, the very place they’ll be sleeping in later on. Before entering, Tadashi tensed and growled. The non-ghoul players backed down, unsure what to do but Shouyou laughed out loud. Koushi smiled as his mind clicks. From where they are standing, they could smell Akira’s very faint sour scent, a huge contrast against Tooru’s overly sour scent. Boy were they in for a mean treat if those two don’t settle their score.

Daichi didn’t know what to do. It had only been a week since they’ve witnessed their lovable teammates take down two adult ghouls. Though it seems that there would be a fight, he didn’t know if he has the power to stop it. If it came down to it, he’ll have to depend on Shouyou, who is according to Tadashi and Koushi and literally the Japan News, the strongest ghoul in the prefecture and Top 8 most dangerous ghoul in Japan.

Upon entering, Coach Sadayuki ushered them to the vacant changing room to change into more comfortable clothes and kits. Under Coach Notuberu’s watchful eye, the two teams played against each other in three games, nine sets in total with Karasuno winning two games and Aoba Johsai winning once. By the end of the third game, it was already four minutes past seven and the coaches told them all to clean up and promptly left, not wanting to be present should there be trouble.

Aoba Johsai took a shower first as Karasuno volunteered to cook and headed to the school’s kitchen with their ingredients on hand. Aside from Ryuunosuke and Yuu’s bickering, Kei and Tobio’s snarling, everything went relatively well. Daichi, Kazuhito, Hisashi, Ryuunosuke and Tobio made curry while Asahi, Chikara, Yuu and Kei made onigiri. Shouyou, Tadashi and Koushi brewed coffee. They brough their foods and drinks to the cafeteria where the Aoba Johsai group waited. 

Despite their past, the two teams went along too well. Though it might come as a relief to some, Daichi and Hajime thinks that they blended too well for their liking. Issei, Takahiro, Ryuunosuke and Yuu joined forces to annoy their teammates, much to everyone’s dismay. Koushi and Tooru were joined by the hip, conversing animatedly and only pausing to take a sip of the coffee. Shouyou was rapidly talking to Yutaro who listened as best as he can with Akira sitting beside him, saying nothing as he drinks his coffee. Tobio had sought out Shigeru for setting advice, much to the second year’s surprise. Chikara, Hisashi, Kazuhito, and Shinji talk about being side characters, Asahi beside them trying to reassure them that they are important. The most surprising move was Kei and Kentarou sitting together and actually talking. Unbeknown to them, the two were talking about ways to murder their teammates without being traced back to them, jokingly of course but not really. Spoiler alert: they very much like the ice-spike method. Tadashi was nowhere to be seen and a few people noticed this and informed Daichi in alarm. Shouyou assures them that the green haired teen just went out to get some fresh air.

Everyone noticed the way Shouyou said this as he looks at Akira who has a frown on his face but chose not to question it.

Since Karasuno cooked, Aoba Johsai washed the dishes as the crow group left to take a bath. They all met up in the court to set up their futons. Finishing their tasks, Yuu literally pounced on Koushi and loudly asked if he could play with his kagune. The sandcastle group was shock by this but Tobio and Ryuunosuke happily sprinted around the court to board up the windows and lock all doors. They watch in amusement as Tobio tripped over nothing and fell, his athletic reflexes saving his face. He quickly stood back up as if nothing happened and made a beeline to the redhead.

“Dumbass! Let me arm-wrestle your rinkaku!” Tobio yelled. Across the gym, Ryuunosuke screamed, “You may have won last time, but this time we will be victorious!” Koushi chuckled at his declaration. “You should know by now that Red has perfect control over his kagunes. He could beat you in his sleep,” Koushi said, his bikaku out for their libero to play with.

This was truly a view to behold. Shouyou was giggling as Tobio, Ryuunosuke, Hisashi and Kazuhito desperately try to pin the dark red tentacle-like kagune on the floor, the veins in their arms popping from the strain. Yuu was hoisted on the air by Koushi’s bikaku wrapped around his ankle. Asahi fret over the dangling libero, muttering about blood flowing down his brain. Tadashi was laying down on his futon, belly down, as Chikara and Kei pet his ukaku the same way they would pet a cat as they read over the books they brought. Daichi was just watching them with a fond expression.

Seijoh knows that the three are ghouls, Tooru and Akira had informed them beforehand. They also know that it was only last week that the crows accepted them. From the play-by-play they got from Tooru, they learned that Karasuno didn’t really think twice before accepting the ghouls with open arms. Now that is what caught them by surprise. When they learned that they had two ghouls in their team, a few were scared shitless. Though no one turned them in, their relationship became stagnant.

Looking at the team before them made them speechless. They were so accepting, so open with the whole thing. They didn’t scream at the thought that they might get bitten, much worse eaten. No, Karasuno wasn’t like that. 

With much courage, Kentarou approached Shouyou and asked if he could have a try at pinning his rinkaku down. He was ready to be turned down, but the ecstatic first year just laughed happily as he wags one of his four rinkaku in front of him, inviting the robust hitter to give it a try. Kentarou happily agrees and now he is laying between Tobio and Ryuunosuke as they try to pin the tentacles down, Hisashi and Kazuhito cheering on the sidelines. This snapped something inside Seijoh as they turned to their own ghoul teammates, a silent question embedded in their eyes.

Tooru and Akira looked at each other before bringing out their kagunes; Tooru’s turquoise blue koukaku spike sprouting below his right shoulder blade, the white blame gleaming, Akira’s deep blue star pattern bikaku snaking in the air like a snake, his own baby blue koukaku firmly attached on his arm, the hook tip shimmering as the court’s light was reflected by the sharp point.

Issei and Takahiro studied Tooru’s kagune, lightly poking the blade once in a while as if it might flop like a fish taken out of the water. Yutaro and Shigeru stroke their fingers against Akira’s hook koukaku, entranced with the coldness of the material. The ghoul first year’s bikaku was wrapped around Shinji’s wrist who gaped at it with wonder. Hajime, having seen the kagunes multiple times, stood back and watched his team. Somehow the sleep over turned into a ‘Let’s Appreciate the Beauty of our Ghoul Teammate’s Kagunes’ day and no one really cares. 

At some point, the teams blended and now some Karasuno members were interacting with the Aoba Johsai ghouls while some Seijoh members were interacting with the crows. Some secrets were shared, mainly about Tooru and his morning routine and Tobio’s baby pictures, and in some sense they felt closer. Most of them at least. Some noticed Tadashi glaring at Akira and Akira sticking his tongue out at the pinch server across the court. Known for being blunt, Hajime decided to ask, loudly. 

Akira huffed bitterly at this and he turns to face Tadashi. “I don’t know. Is there something you’d like to tell me, Green?” he asked in fake sweetness. Tadashi narrowed his eyes at him. “Yes. In fact, I do, Aqua,” Tadashi spat. Some decided to edge away from the two, feeling the tension in the air. Shouyou watched earnestly while Tooru and Koushi snickered. “Well, what do you have to say?” Akira asked, batting his eyelashes. Tadashi bared his fangs as he stood.

“THAT WAS MY PREY, YOU DICK-SUCKING PRICK! I HAD BEEN TRAILING HIM FOR DAYS!” Tadashi roared, all his kagunes out in full display. Akira didn’t like being yelled at so he too stood and advanced towards the greenette. “IT’S NOT MY FAULT YOU DIDN’T KILL HIM FAST ENOUGH, NOW IS IT?” Akira screamed, his own kagunes gleaming. Tadashi scoffed. “CAN’T KILL FAST ENOUGH, YOU SAY?! I’LL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU COULD EVEN BLINK!” Tadashi said as he crouched, ready to pounce. “BRING IT!” Akira yelled back, mimicking the stance. 

Yutaro and Kei wanted to step forward and protect their friend; not at all minding the mention of a dead person, but this was something they, a human, couldn’t do so they turned to someone else to stop them; Yutaro turning to Tooru while Kei turned to Shouyou. Unfortunately for Yutaro, Tooru is weaker than Akira. Koushi might be able to stop them, but he would not leave unscathed. Shouyou on the other hand, is more than capable on stopping them. Yet, when all turned to look at him, begging him with their eyes to interfere, Shouyou looked on with wonder, his black scleras and red irises eyeing the two, calculating.

Finally, he scoffed at the two, an action the others do not like. “If ya two fight it out, will ya stop bitching around when we hunt?” Shouyou asked the two who turned to face him, their own black and red eyes watching him. They turned to each other, a silent conversation playing before whipping their head to him, nodding. 

Shouyou turned, eyes searching for a certain brunette. When their eyes met, he grinned. “Ne Tooru, remember the time you challenged me for the ward?” Shouyou asked, a knowing glint in his eyes. Returning the grin, Tooru nodded as he trekked away, searching for something. Shouyou turned back to face the two angry ghouls who straightened their stances.

A few seconds later, Tooru returned with a chalk. He removes a few futons on the center and draws a circle in the middle, big enough to fit two bathrooms. Seeing this, Koushi fell on his knees and laughed out loud, his hands clutching his sides. “We’re in for a treat!” Koushi screeched as he wipes the tears falling from too much laughter. Smiling at his work, Tooru threw the two ghouls a thumbs up before walking beside to Hajime’s side whose eyes are open wide once his mind processes the situation. He was there when Tooru complained about the ghoul diet rule and decided to challenge Shouyou.

Akira and Tadashi know too, the cogs in their minds turning as they strategize. Before they could think though, Hajime took a step forward. “If things don’t go well, we don’t have any meat on-hand they could feed on to heal themselves,” said Seijoh’s ace as he points at the drawn circle. Shouyou cocks his head at the third year, eyes daring him to continue speaking. Tooru pulls Hajime by his shirt, not wanting his friend to anger the undisputed king of their ward, but Hajime refuses to back down.

Smiling, Shouyou points at the two with his thumb. “Don’t worry Iwaizumi-san. If it takes a bad turn, I’ll stop them myself,” Shouyou said as he turns to face the two ghouls, “Alright, you know the rules. You can only use one kagune in this match. The last one to leave the circle wins.” Akira and Tadashi nodded as they stepped in the circle. Tadashi brandishes his sage green ukaku while Akira wields his deep blue bikaku.

Tooru let out a low whistle as he takes in the kagunes the two are using for the fight. Though the bikaku is a good match-up against the ukaku, because ukaku users tend to run out of stamina quickly and it’s crystal like projectiles could be evaded by the bikaku, Koushi couldn’t help but compare that Tadashi is a SS rated ghoul while Akira is only S- rated. Tadashi also has more combat experience since he fights alongside Shouyou than Akira who had spent most of his life feeding off of suicide victims, only changed his feeding tactics to hunting a year ago.

Shouyou approached the two with a smile on his face. The other teens could only look on with worry etched on their faces. As much as they want to intervene, they don’t have the power to do so. Some however, like Yuu, Ryuunosuke, Issei and Takahiro, boldly eyes the two with interest. It wasn’t all the time that you could witness two ghouls fighting like some WWW grand finale.

Akira and Tadashi growled, their bodies crouched and their fangs baring. Grinning, Koushi whispered to Tooru’s ear who smiled sinisterly. Whipping his head to the two tense ghouls in the circle, Tooru screamed, “My money is on you, Aqua-chan!” Giggling, Koushi turned to his cohort. “Mine is on you, Green!” the silver head screeched excitedly as he wags one thousand yen in the air. 

With the fear of an injured ghoul suddenly pushed to the back of their minds, the teens conjured money from their wallets and enthusiastically placed their bets. Shouyou watched Koushi and Tooru collect the money and names. To no one’s surprise, most placed their bets on Tadashi, only six betting on Akira. Reading the final betting pool, Shouyou grinned. He happens to know a little more about the two than anyone present. He wrote his name below the ghoul of his choice and the amount of money he is willing to bet. Koushi read over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow but Shouyou merely grinned at him.

Giving the list to Tooru, Shouyou turned his attention to the two ghouls. “Alright, first, Green, be careful of your projectiles,” Shouyou said as he eyes Tadashi who didn’t turn to face him but nodded to acknowledge him. “Second, you will not get outside help,” Shouyou added as he turns to look at Hajime who also nodded. “And lastly, don’t injure yourselves too much, we have practice tomorrow. Are we clear?” Shouyou asked, his cheery voice gone as he eyes them. Tadashi and Akira nodded, not taking their eyes off of each other. Smiling, Shouyou watched the red hand of the clock slowly tick towards twelve. When it lands, Shouyou diverts his attention back to the circle.

“Go!”


	5. ☼☼☼☼☼

Tadashi shot through the air, shooting out crystalized spike-like projectiles towards his enemy. Albeit with much difficulty, Akira manages to deflect the attack with his bikaku, his feet planted on the wooden floor. For those watching, it seemed like a one-sided fight, with Tadashi on offense while Akira is on defense. Those who placed their bets on Tadashi grinned while those who placed their bets on Akira frowned.

Shouyou watched the exchanged and clicked his tongue. If there is a well-known fact about ukaku users, it would be that they run out of stamina quickly. Eyeing the greenette, Shouyou knows that he won’t last long. 

Sure enough, after launching volleys after volleys of crystalized kagune, Tadashi starts to pant and descends unconsciously. That was his mistake.

Once the pinch server falls on Akira’s range, Akira broke his defense stance and whipped his bikaku towards his enemy, wrapping his kagune around Tadashi’s ankle and yanked him down violently. Tadashi yelps and loses his balance, falling belly down. He hurriedly rolls over and gasps in pain as he is suddenly winded from the intense pressure on his chest. Looking up, Tadashi sees Akira’s foot on his chest, his bikaku a few centimeters away from his face. Instead of sneering from his apparent victory, Akira grunts as Shouyou’s rinkaku wraps around his neck, his bikaku enveloped by the ecstatic middle blocker’s other rinkaku. 

The non-ghouls watched, horrified to see that if it wasn’t for Shouyou, Tadashi would have died. Koushi groaned and Tooru smirked. Feeling Akira slacking on his grip, he releases the poor ghoul from his hold and turns to help Tadashi up. Grumbling, Tadashi accepts the hand extended to him and stands, dusting himself and not turning to acknowledge his opponent whose face scrunched up in frustration. Shouyou turns to face the teens watching and beamed. “I think it’s clear to say that Aqua wins this squabble,” Shouyou said cheerfully as the teams mourn over their lost money. 

Tooru, Hajime, Chikara, Issei, Kentarou, Shinji and Shouyou chuckled evilly as they gleefully accept the money they won. Akira and Tadashi hurriedly made some distance between them, not turning to look at each other but everyone could see that Akira was grinning while Tadashi was chewing his gums in frustration. 

As if nothing happened, the tense air dissipated and everyone started mingling again, aside from the two ghouls who just fought. Shouyou wags his money in front of Tobio who mutters about Shouyou cheating. Koushi stuck his tongue out on Tooru who grinned and slaps himself with the money he won, flaunting the fat stack of cash, Hajime rolling his eyes beside the narcistic setter. Chikara whooped loudly as he throws the hard-earned cash to the air, pointedly ignoring the betrayed look he received from his friends. Kentarou pockets his money and threw Kei a sneer. 

Aside from the whole bragging fiasco and the two ghouls that still refused to acknowledge each other, everything went quite well. They intermix until one in the morning when the yawning fest started, and everyone crept into their futons and slept.

The next day, the Seijoh group cooked breakfast and the Flightless Crow group took a bath first. Coach Notuberu and Coach Sadayuki watched in amazement as the two groups chatter nonchalantly. They tilt their heads in confused when they watched Akira and Tadashi frowned at each other but Tooru told them that the two shared a few strong words last night and so they shrugged it off. By lunchtime, the coaches treated everyone on a nearby diner. They ate and chatted happily, too happily for the coaches’ liking. 

When five in the afternoon came, Coach Keishin and Ittetsu-sensei stared as the two teams hugged and yell out their farewells. They didn’t think that this sleep over would end well. Yet, here they were in front of them, conversing to themselves and exchanging phone numbers as if they’ve known each other for a long time. Confused but choosing not to question anything, the adults boarded the bus and drove away, the teens waving goodbye. 

Shouyou sighs tiredly as he leans against the backrest of his seat, watching his teammates settle down on their seats. Smiling thinly, Shouyou couldn’t help but think that the night didn’t go the direction he had hoped. It was quite dull for him; he had expected a whole lot of blood and fangs ripping skin but neither happened. He recons that his rogue days was truly a good way to live his monstrous life but alas, though he is an SSS rated ghoul himself, he is no match against Ken Kaneki – the One-eyed Ghoul, Eyepatch, Centipede.

Clicking his tongue, Shouyou turned to the window beside him, eyeing the peaceful scene heinous eyes.


	6. ☼☼☼☼☼☼

Tadashi shot through the air, shooting out crystalized spike-like projectiles towards his enemy. Albeit with much difficulty, Akira manages to deflect the attack with his bikaku, his feet planted on the wooden floor. For those watching, it seemed like a one-sided fight, with Tadashi on offense while Akira is on defense. Those who placed their bets on Tadashi grinned while those who placed their bets on Akira frowned.

Shouyou watched the exchanged and clicked his tongue. If there is a well-known fact about ukaku users, it would be that they run out of stamina quickly. Eyeing the greenette, Shouyou knows that he won’t last long. 

Sure enough, after launching volleys after volleys of crystalized kagune, Tadashi starts to pant and descends unconsciously. That was his mistake.

Once the pinch server falls on Akira’s range, Akira broke his defense stance and whipped his bikaku towards his enemy, wrapping his kagune around Tadashi’s ankle and yanked him down violently. Tadashi yelps and loses his balance, falling belly down. He hurriedly rolls over and gasps in pain as he is suddenly winded from the intense pressure on his chest. Looking up, Tadashi sees Akira’s foot on his chest, his bikaku a few centimeters away from his face. Instead of sneering from his apparent victory, Akira grunts as Shouyou’s rinkaku wraps around his neck, his bikaku enveloped by the ecstatic middle blocker’s other rinkaku. 

The non-ghouls watched, horrified to see that if it wasn’t for Shouyou, Tadashi would have died. Koushi groaned and Tooru smirked. Feeling Akira slacking on his grip, he releases the poor ghoul from his hold and turns to help Tadashi up. Grumbling, Tadashi accepts the hand extended to him and stands, dusting himself and not turning to acknowledge his opponent whose face scrunched up in frustration. Shouyou turns to face the teens watching and beamed. “I think it’s clear to say that Aqua wins this squabble,” Shouyou said cheerfully as the teams mourn over their lost money. 

Tooru, Hajime, Chikara, Issei, Kentarou, Shinji and Shouyou chuckled evilly as they gleefully accept the money they won. Akira and Tadashi hurriedly made some distance between them, not turning to look at each other but everyone could see that Akira was grinning while Tadashi was chewing his gums in frustration. 

As if nothing happened, the tense air dissipated and everyone started mingling again, aside from the two ghouls who just fought. Shouyou wags his money in front of Tobio who mutters about Shouyou cheating. Koushi stuck his tongue out on Tooru who grinned and slaps himself with the money he won, flaunting the fat stack of cash, Hajime rolling his eyes beside the narcistic setter. Chikara whooped loudly as he throws the hard-earned cash to the air, pointedly ignoring the betrayed look he received from his friends. Kentarou pockets his money and threw Kei a sneer. 

Aside from the whole bragging fiasco and the two ghouls that still refused to acknowledge each other, everything went quite well. They intermix until one in the morning when the yawning fest started, and everyone crept into their futons and slept.

The next day, the Seijoh group cooked breakfast and the Flightless Crow group took a bath first. Coach Notuberu and Coach Sadayuki watched in amazement as the two groups chatter nonchalantly. They tilt their heads in confused when they watched Akira and Tadashi frowned at each other but Tooru told them that the two shared a few strong words last night and so they shrugged it off. By lunchtime, the coaches treated everyone on a nearby diner. They ate and chatted happily, too happily for the coaches’ liking. 

When five in the afternoon came, Coach Keishin and Ittetsu-sensei stared as the two teams hugged and yell out their farewells. They didn’t think that this sleep over would end well. Yet, here they were in front of them, conversing to themselves and exchanging phone numbers as if they’ve known each other for a long time. Confused but choosing not to question anything, the adults boarded the bus and drove away, the teens waving goodbye. 

Shouyou sighs tiredly as he leans against the backrest of his seat, watching his teammates settle down on their seats. Smiling thinly, Shouyou couldn’t help but think that the night didn’t go the direction he had hoped. It was quite dull for him; he had expected a whole lot of blood and fangs ripping skin but neither happened. He recons that his rogue days was truly a good way to live his monstrous life but alas, though he is an SSS rated ghoul himself, he is no match against Ken Kaneki – the One-eyed Ghoul, Eyepatch, Centipede.

Clicking his tongue, Shouyou turned to the window beside him, eyeing the peaceful scene with heinous eyes.


	7. ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

Shouyou gleefully stepped off the bus and took a huge whiff of the clear breeze. 

To his delight, Coach Yasufumi had reached out to Karasuno High’s men volleyball team, asking them if they are willing to attend a week-long practice camp he had set up with Fukurodani Academy’s men volleyball team. Coach Keishin and Ittetsu-sensei readily agreed, not one to pass up opportunities to get their team some context of exposure from strong teams. The next day, the two adults had been informed that Coach Yasufumi had also reached out to the men volleyball team of Aoba Johsai High, Shiratorizawa Academy and Inarizaki High, who in turn accepted the invitation.

To say that Shouyou is glad is an enormous understatement. He is beyond ecstatic. Not only does he get to play against strong players, win or lose; he gets to be around with more people of his kind. He loves his team, don’t get him wrong. They had adjusted accordingly to their ghouls need: not forcing them to eat meat buns and even brought a huge thermos container for their coffee, the only human genius discovery that ghouls could digest. No, the three ghouls would kill for them, literally. But every now and then, their teammates’ mouth-watering aroma was just too much, especially on a bad day.

Even though Shouyou, Koushi and Tadashi made sure to eat the day before the practice camp and crammed coffee beans and thermoses in their bags, they still worry. Most of the camp participants are human and because of the sport they play, they sweat a lot, and sometimes their scent can drive them through the edge. Shouyou also worries that by surrounding himself with his kind, he wouldn’t be able to smell the scent of an outsider ghoul. Pushing the thoughts at the back of his mind, Shouyou collects his belongings and followed his team towards two waiting Nekoma High volleyball team members. 

Daichi frowned after taking in the two players before of him. Usually, it would be Tetsurou who would come collect them then proceed to mock them about being late. This time however, it was Nekoma’s setter Kenma and libero Morisuke. Before Daichi could greet them, Kenma was immediately toppled over and embraced by Shouyou who had beamed and leaped at him. Caught off guard, the two fell.

“KENMA!” Shouyou excitedly cried as he embraces his gamer friend. Snapping out of his shock, Kenma returns the gesture. “Shouyou,” the shy setter muttered with a small smile on his face. Morisuke cleared his throat loudly, grabbing the attention of the two. Smiling sheepishly, Shouyou releases Kenma from his hold and stood up, hoisting his friend with him. They dusted themselves and went on their way, leaving their baffled teammates behind.

Flashing Karasuno a thin smile, Morisuke trailed after his teammate. Daichi cocks his head in confusion but shrugs it off as he motions for his teammates to follow, hoping that the direction they are going is the room they’ll be staying for the week. He notices Tadashi’s grimace and Koushi’s frown but again, chose not to question it.

Morisuke led them to the third building tucked behind the main campus, trudging towards the third floor and into a long corridor. They headed into the fourth room with the door already open, Shouyou setting down his belongings inside. After unloading their bags and change their clothes, they exited their room and followed the two Nekoma players who waited for them to finish settling down to lead them to the court.

Before they could enter, Shouyou smells the sour scent of other ghouls, the fierce tingle varying from one ghoul to the other. He hears the familiar squawking of shoes, balls being hit, and yells of encouragement and strings of curses. When Karasuno stepped in, the rallies visibly halted, each player seizing up the new competition. The tension disappeared when the door at the back was suddenly screeched open and a booming voice drowned out the tense air. “HINATA!!!” Koutaro shrieked as he sprints towards the crows and scoops up the redhead.

Shouyou giggled angelically as Koutaro sets him down after being reprimanded by Keiji. After this, a few players started crowding around the newcomers, some introducing themselves and some catching up with an old friend.

With the coaches busy conversing amongst themselves in the faculty lounge, the athletes dispersed into groups, chatting and fooling around. Though a few players hoped from team to team, everyone was sneaking glances at the peculiar gathering in the center; a mismatch parade of orange, turquoise, red, purple, white and black jerseys. From afar, anyone watching could tell that there was a strain in the air; the teens forming a circle with a clean cut in the middle, separating orange, aqua, black and purple from red and white.

Shouyou stood at the center on one side, flanked by Koushi on his right and Tadashi on his left, the redhead flashing the ghouls before him with a warm smile while Koushi and Tadashi scowled. Tooru stood beside Koushi, his arm snaked around the grey-haired teen’s neck playfully. Akira stood a meter away from Tadashi, eyes filled with mirth as the green-haired teen scoff at him. Ushijima, Tsutomu and Kenjiro stood beside Akira, a hint of amusement in their faces. Atsumu, Osamu and Ojiro stood beside Tooru, hands fidgeting as they watched the silent confrontation going on in front of them. Across them, Kenma stood beside Morisuke, his head bowed, busy with the game on his phone. Keiji stood beside Kenma, Koutaro frowning behind him.

Though no one knows what was being said but they could tell that it was serious.

Watching them from afar, a few minds clicked. Shinsuke’s eyes went wide when he finally registers the situation. Though he had only met them today, he concluded that the teens on the center are all ghouls. There’s only so much Ojiro would do for the twins, ghoul business being one of them. The Inarizaki volleyball team was given a heads up by their own ghoul friends that there would be more ghouls attending the camp. He had heard from Ojiro himself that the twins hunt with the Miyagi Ward leader from time to time.

Eyeing the athletes around him, Shinsuke knows that the other teams had come to same conclusion. It seems that all teams present has at least two ghouls in their teams that somehow has connections with one another.

As if they are beckoned, the ghouls simultaneously turned their heads to the door, eyes wide and noses flaring. The court door opened a few seconds later, showcasing Nekoma’s captain, Tetsurou. The bed headed teen frowns as he registers the stares he’s getting. “Anything on my face?” the third year asked as he casually strolls towards the center and position himself beside Koutaro. The humans shook their head no, but the ghouls stared vacuously at him and dispersed, a hand shielding their noses. 

Seeing this, Tetsurou sneered as Kenma elbows his sides, his own hand covering his nose. Not a moment later, the coaches appeared and ushered their teams to different corners to talk about strategy and different gameplays. 

The day went on in a relatively sluggish stride. Everyone played their best - spiking every multi-colored ball that went their way, blocking the ball that threatened to fall on their side of the court, receiving monstrous spikes and serves, experimenting on different tempos.

Of course, there were a few punitive words shared and not so pleasing responses but at the end of the day, it was merely a whopper. To most athletes, it was a regular training camp, one meant for cultivating their weaknesses and leveling up. To a certain few however, they are killing time and waiting for the sun to set and for their teammates to be put to bed.

Now recognizing who the ghouls are, the humans observed in astonishment as they guzzled down the food their managers had prepared, not leaving a single grain of rice on the plate, though they laughed out loud when the ghouls retched out the food once dinner time finished.

~~//~~

Scrutinizing the scene before him, Shouyou grinned, his black scleras and red irises illuminated by the moon’s light as it bathes them with its splendor, his red mask glistening attractively but inaptly. In front of him are fifteen ghouls, their ratings ranging from A to SSS, their arsenal of kagunes in full display. 

Tilting his head to the side, taking in the giddy ghouls in front of him, he asked, “Shall we go?” In response, they nodded, not trusting their mouths to keep them out of trouble, careful not to upset the ostensibly delighted redhead. They had noticed his mood changing from time to time during practice matches and they wanted to make sure that he is kept in a constant upright attitude. If he snaps, well, the only one walking away unscathed would be him and Kenma who is also an SSS rated ghoul and who would much rather dote on the shrimp than protect his friends.

Turning away from them, the Sky Tree within his sight, Shouyou launched into the air, blatantly showing his ukaku, unafraid to attract unsolicited interest. Without peeked behind him, he knows that those with ukakus are flying after him, while those who doesn’t are sprinting towards him, using their kagunes to leap from building to building.

Giggling to himself, he took some time to watch the twinkling stars above him. If he can’t instigate distress in Miyagi, then what better place to make an uproar than Tokyo, the hotspot for all ghoul matches?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah!  
> Tokyo Ghoul Haikyuu!!


End file.
